Fascinating experiment! We need more diversity in tech. Here's what the experiment shows ... THREAD.
Not all photos are uploaded to Twitter using the correct specs to optimize display on Twitter. For example ...
Twitter apparently taught its algorithm to find the most interesting / relevant parts of of photos, then display a cropped version of those pics such that the most relevant part shows up as a thumbnail.
This gets around the problem of just picking the top, or middle, of a photo such that you'd just see a sky (or torso) as the thumbnail.
So, @bascule uploaded two oversized pics as an experiment. He used two different faces, placed in different locations, in oversized images. Question: What would Twitter prioritize?
.@bascule's experiment appears to show Twitter taught its algorithms understand and recognize faces uses White faces. Which brings me back to the beginning of this thread. We need more diversity in tech.
Because, really, the experiment isn't really just about faces. It's about how algorithms are formed and developed. It's about who's in the room when decisions are made, and who's not included.
The implications of this are wider than how faces display across Twitter. See also: My thread about the role of analysts. #STEM #STEAM #Tech #Data
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.